Sustainability overview

The stock in this area is healthy and is fished appropriately. Scientists are calling for measures to improve gear selection to help reduce discard rates. Ask for fish from trawlers using approved methods to improve selectivity and reduce discards. Avoid eating fish below the size at which it matures, 30 cms, and during its breeding season, January to July.

Biology

Whiting is a slender bodied, sandy, blue-green coloured fish with conspicuous white sides and belly, silvery when alive. A member of the gadoid family, the same as cod and haddock, it occurs throughout northeast Atlantic waters at a wide range of depths, from shallow inshore waters to depths of 200m. They mature at an age of 2-3 years and at a length of about 30 cms. The average landed length is usually around 30-40 cms, however whiting can grow up to 70 cm and 3 kg. Whiting breeds between January and July, but mostly in spring. The maximum reported age is 20 years.

Stock information

Stock Area

Southern Celtic Sea and English Channel

Stock information

The spawning-stock biomass (SSB) has remained well above MSY Btrigger since 2009. Fishing mortality (F) has been below FMSY since 2008, and has increased in recent years. Recruitment has been below average since 2010 with the exception of the 2013 year class, which is estimated to be the second highest in the series. ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2018 should be no more than 19 429 tonnes.

Management

Specific management measures are required to reduce bycatch and discarding in order to maximise stock productivity. This could be achieved by effort reduction, spatial and temporal changes or closures in the fishery based on whiting abundance, nursery areas or technical measures such as escape panels, separator panels, square mesh and variations in mesh size over the net. There is currently an area in the western Irish Sea closed to whitefish fishing to protect cod, however the effects of this upon the whiting stock are unclear. Despite the introduction of square mesh panels during 2012 the volume of discards has remained high and there is not yet evidence of improvements in selectivity in the fishery. The advice from ICES is that “a square mesh panel of at least 120 mm should be introduced for the nephrops fleet and a minimum mesh size of 100 mm with a square mesh panel of at least 110 mm for all other fleets”. The North Western Waters Regional Advisory Council (NWWRAC) have recently supported the introduction of square mesh panels in all trawl fisheries operating in ICES Divisions VIIfg. There is a mismatch between the assessment area and the TAC area because Division 7.d is not considered part of this stock and is assessed separately with Area 4 whiting. ICES recommends that the TAC area correspond to the assessment area. Vessels targeting whiting have been subject to the landings obligation since 2016. Other demersal fleets, in which whiting is a bycatch species, are not currently under the landings obligation.

Capture Information

Celtic Sea whiting are mainly taken in mixed-species fisheries targeting cod, haddock, and whiting with otter trawls and seine nets using >100mm codend mesh. Trawling is associated with benthic impacts and high levels of bycatch. Discarding of this stock is substantial and highly variable (9-82% by weight and 18-90% by number of total catch) and often due to the low market value of the species. Despite the introduction of square mesh panels during 2012 the volume of discards has remained high and there is not yet evidence of improvements in selectivity in the fishery. Discard rates for 2016 are estimated at 32% of the catch with otter trawls accountinng for 74% of discards and seine nets 11% (2015, 32% of catch discarded with otter trawls accounting for 67% and seine nets 19%).

Alternatives

Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating:
only fish rated 2 and below are included as an alternative in
the list below. Click on a name to show the sustainable options
available.

Wild capture criterion scoring overview

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally sustainable fish. For
full details, please see the full wild-capture methodology available here.

Capture method and ecological effects

Score

Impact

0

Very low impact

0.25

Low impact

0.5

Some or moderate impact

0.75

High impact

1

Very high impact or illegal

Where environmental concerns from any one criteria are so great, a ‘critical fail’ may be triggered and the fishery awarded a default red
rating. For full details, please see the full wild-capture methodology available here.

References

What’s a sustainability range?

Many of the fish listed are caught in different ways and from
different areas of the sea. Some species are caught in a variety
of ways and this range shows that, within a species, some may be
fished sustainably whilst others unsustainably.

To find out the individual ratings for each fish click on the
ratings button next to the image.

Fish that are being assessed are shown with a question mark icon and "No Rating".

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation
Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

To be assessed

Seafood sources indicated as, 'To be assessed', are those that have not yet been assessed and assigned a rating or are undergoing a period
of review. These include sources previously rated by MCS for which the rating has lapsed, due to changes in the market or MCS priorities and
resources. Given that these sources are not fully assessed, the profile should not be used to infer the current sustainability of the
fishery or farmed species.

If you are interested in the sustainability of this seafood source, please let us know by emailing
ratings@mcsuk.org

Rating 1

Rating 1 (light green) is associated with the most
sustainably produced seafood.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation
Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Rating 3

Rating 3 (yellow) based on available information; these
species should probably not be considered sustainable at
this time. Areas requiring improvement in the current
production may be significant. Eat only occasionally and
check www.goodfishguide.org for specific details.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation
Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Rating 4

Rating 4 (orange) should not be considered sustainable, and
the fish is likely to have significant environmental issues
associated with its production. While it may be from a
deteriorating fishery, it may be one which has improved from
a 5 rating, and positive steps are being taken. However, MCS
would not usually recommend choosing this fish.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation
Society to help consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Red Improver

'Red improver' ratings are assigned to seafood sources which have been assessed and rated 5 (red) due to significant environmental concerns
with one or more aspects of their management, capture or production, yet credible efforts to improve these issues have been agreed through a
Fisheries or Aquaculture Improvement Project – a FIP or an AIP - and work is underway. Such projects are normally publicly listed at
www.fisheryprogress.org. MCS wants to encourage environmental improvements in fisheries and fish farms, and so does not recommend avoiding
these sources, as we normally do for seafood rated 5 (red rated).

'Best choice' fish are rated 1 and 2, Fish to Avoid are rated 5.

This system has been developed by the Marine Conservation Society to help businesses and consumers choose the most environmentally
sustainable fish.

Rating 5

Rating 5 (red) is associated with fish to be avoided on the
basis that all or most of the criteria for sustainablilty
have not been met.